A Big Mistake
by CaptainSparrow09
Summary: Something horrible happened early on in Tim and Calleigh's perfect family. Now, after fourteen years, a case comes up. Certain evidence prompts old memories to come back. But will everything be happily ever after?
1. chapter one

Disclaimer: I own anyone you don't recognize. Everyone else belongs to Anthony Zuiker.

A/N: My math totally sucks right now as I begin to write future chapters for this. Right now Tim and Calleigh are 30. We know that they've worked together for a while so we'll say that they've been married for three years already so that would make them 27 when they got married. This all obviously took place before the series premiere. A/U I know. But then again so are all of my other stories. So in my mind, CSI: Miami is totally different for the past three seasons.

S/C-------

Tim pulled his Tahoe into the hotel parking lot and turned the ignition off.

"When we go in, I'll check in. Just stay with Abbie." Calleigh said.

"Why can't I go get the key?" Tim asked.

"Because you're very stressed about your little lecture and you can snap at people when you're stressed."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Calleigh smiled and leaned over. Tim met her half way and their lips connected. For a second everything stopped and Tim wound a hand through Calleigh's hair. She fumbled with her seatbelt to try and get closer to him. But of course, something went wrong. Two-year-old Abbie Speedle tossed her sippy cup at Daddy's head. Tim tried to ignore the searing pain in his head but Calleigh pushed him away. He sighed and turned around.

"Was that nice?"

Abbie just smiled, knowing her father couldn't resist her smile. Tim shook his head and got out of the car. Calleigh smiled and got out, opening Abbie's door. She leaned over, kissing her nose lightly, making Abbie giggle as she unbuckled her seatbelt. Tim lifted her out of the car seat and cradled her in the crook of his arm as Calleigh grabbed a few things.

"Daddy mad?" Abbie asked, looking up at Tim. He smiled and shook his head.

"Me be mad at you? Never." he tickled her tummy, making her squirm in his grasp.

"Stop!"

"Stop?"

Abbie nodded and Tim kissed her cheek as he lifted her over his shoulder.

"Deko! Deko! Deko!" she squealed, beating on Tim's back with her tiny fists. Tim glanced behind him and saw Eric walking up.

"Hey!" he grinned. "Abbie, my favorite angel."

Abbie giggled as Eric kissed her forehead.

"Where's Horatio?" Calleigh asked, peering up at her friend with sunglass-clad eyes.

"I called him in the car. He got stuck in traffic. Not surprised. Traffic's a bitch during the summer."

"Eric!" Calleigh slapped his arm.

"What?"

"I don't need her talking like you! You're her uncle and she looks up to you."

"You never heard that word Abbie." Eric grinned. "Got it?"

"Got it." she repeated. The three friends started walking into the hotel.

"I really don't want to sit in this conference." Eric complained.

"None of us do." Tim said, wincing slightly. "Abbie, haven't you done enough damage to Daddy's head?"

She smiled sheepishly and released Tim's unruly hair from her hand.

"Sowwy."

"I'm not happy but I'm not mad either."

"Alright I'm gonna check-in." Calleigh drawled. "You two okay with her?"

"I gotta check-in so Speed's on his own." Eric said.

"Tim, do you have her?"

"Baby, you make it sound like I've never watched her before!"

"No... it's not that. Have you seen how crowded this place is? I don't want something to happen to her."

"I won't let her out of my sight." Tim promised, kissing Calleigh lightly. "Stop worrying."

She opened her mouth to protest but nodded, knowing she could trust her husband. Calleigh shot him one last look and walked over to the front desk.

"Tim?"

He turned around and smiled brightly.

"Catherine Willows, I figured I'd bump into you."

"Yes. Who's this pretty little girl?" Catherine asked, smiling at Abbie.

"This is Abbie, my daughter. Angel, this is one of Daddy's friends, Catherine."

"Cafwin?"

"Close enough." she laughed. "I didn't know you had a daughter."

"Yeah. Two years now." Tim smiled. "We just... didn't have time to talk on your last visit."

"Yeah. Is anyone else from the team here?"

"Like a certain Lt of mine?" Tim teased. Catherine blushed. "He's stuck in traffic. Delko and Calleigh are here though."

"Oh. I'm sure I'll see them. Warrick is around somewhere. Grissom talked me in to taking him to Florida again. Said the same thing, 'Don't think Warrick's ever been to Florida.' Said, 'Gil, he was there six months ago.' Warrick needed a break though."

Tim laughed.

"I'll find him. He owes me some money." he smirked.

"Warrick owes everyone money. It was good talking to you Tim and it was a pleasure meeting you Abbie."

"Bye!" she waved brightly. Catherine smiled and walked off.

"Speedle!"

"Brown! Hand over 50 bucks before I forget." he grinned. "Nice seeing you man."

"Thought you'd forget." Warrick muttered, pulling out his wallet. "Hey, who's this?"

"My kid, Abbie. This is Warrick."

"War." Abbie repeated.

"Close enough. My nickname to some people." Warrick smiled. "She's cute."

"Thanks."

Abbie squirmed in Tim's arms as he and Warrick began talking.

"Daddy, down!"

"No, Abbie I can't put you down."

"Down!"

Tim rolled his eyes up at Warrick, who snickered.

"Alright but hold my hand."

Abbie wobbled on her feet for a moment but grabbed Tim's hand. She quickly got bored and looked around.

"Fishies." she smiled, looking up at Tim. He was deep in conversation with Warrick, the two of them laughing about something. Abbie let go of Tim's hand and he crossed his arm's over his chest, nodding.

S/C-----

"...so I said, 'Nicky, you're not too smooth with the ladies anymore huh?'" Warrick laughed. Tim snickered.

"That's the way Eric is." he nodded. "Honey!"

Calleigh walked over and smiled.

"Hi Warrick!"

"Calleigh, hey! Honey, so uh... is something going on?"

"Going on three years." Calleigh replied, holding out her left hand.

"Didn't notice that the last time." Warrick whistled when he saw the diamond.

"I was having them cleaned. They weren't as sparkly." she winked. "Tim, where's Abbie?"

"Ri..." Tim glanced down to where his hand was resting on his hip lightly. "Abbie!"

"You lost her?"

"I didn't lose her! I was holding her hand and she must've walked off!"

"Meaning you lost her!" Calleigh exclaimed.


	2. chapter two

FOURTEEN YEARS LATER

Tim walked in from his garage and saw Calleigh cleaning the table. He smiled and stepped behind her, kissing her exposed shoulder. She moved away from him.

"Hi?"

"Didn't you have something to do today?" Calleigh asked, an angry tone in her voice. Tim stared at her back. She turned around, an unhappy look on her face.

"Um..."

"If I show you the garbage, throw a piece of cake at you, and start singing 'Happy Birthday' will that jog your memory?"

"Honey, I'm so sorry."

"No. Don't apologize to me. It wasn't my birthday."

"Where is he?"

"Where do you think?" Calleigh snapped. Tim turned and went upstairs. He stopped at the first closed door and knocked on it lightly.

"Come in."

Tim opened the door slightly and stepped into his son's room.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Whatcha doing?" Tim sat down on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Homework."

"Cool."

"Yeah."

"Nicky, I'm sorry I wasn't there today."

"It's okay."

"No it's not. I got held up at work and I really wanted to be there."

"Mhmm." Nicky nodded. Tim didn't know what else to say.

"Did you have fun?"

"I guess."

"Get anything cool?"

"Just the usual. Mom got me socks."

"That's good. You always need socks."

"Yeah. Thanks for the PSP."

"Mommy gave it to you huh?" Tim asked, rubbing his stubbled jaw.

"Yeah. It's cool."

"I'm glad you like it."

The two Speedle guys sat in silence for a while. Tim nodded and stood up.

"Okay uh... don't stay up too late."

"I won't." Nicky mumbled. Tim leaned over and kissed the top of his head.

"Happy Birthday."

"Thanks."

Tim stood there for a second then walked out, closing the door behind him.

"Hey where're you going?"

Jen froze in her doorway, her cleats hanging from one hand. She turned around, her black ponytail bouncing slightly.

"Bed."

"Where've you been?" Tim asked.

"Softball practice and then I went to Melissa's."

"It was your brother's birthday."

"I was there the whole party. I left about a half hour before it ended. Mom let me go. At least I didn't miss all of it." Jen said. "'Night."

She didn't wait for a response, just slammed her door. Tim sighed deeply and walked into his room. Calleigh was in the adjoining bathroom, brushing her hair out.

"So how was court?" she asked. Tim shrugged, loosening his tie.

"Like it always was."

"I thought you had it at noon."

"I did."

"It lasted for nine hours?"

"You'd be surprised. These things do last for a while."

"Wasn't Eric working that case with you?"

"Yes."

"Didn't he have to be in court?"

Tim gritted his teeth, knowing where his wife was going with this.

"Yeah."

"Funny. I thought I saw him here, at _your_ son's party. But I must've been mistaking since you were in court for nine hours." Calleigh said, coming out of the bathroom. "You know, I'm getting older so I must be losing my mind."

Tim tossed his dress shirt into a dirty pile in the walk-in closet and helped Calleigh pull the comforter back off the bed.

"So you're mad at me? I thought you said it wasn't your birthday I missed."

"Tim, this isn't about missing a birthday party!" Calleigh exclaimed, tossing the throw pillows to the foot of the bed. "Okay yes it is. Nick is your son."

"Yeah I've noticed."

"You should've seen the look on his face. Every few minutes he'd look up at me as if to ask where you were. Tim, he's getting older and you've missed out on so much."

"Calleigh, he's eight. Relax." he muttered, walking over to his dresser.

"No I'm not! I'm sick of covering your ass for everything! I always make up excuses for you!"

"Then stop! No one's telling you that you have to!"

"Yes well I'm not going to let everyone in our children's lives think that you're some jerk that doesn't care about his family! I know you Tim and I know that's not it!"

"Well you seem to know everything so tell me what it is about?"

"This is about Abbie." Calleigh said.

"You think so?" Tim asked.

"I know so! You two were so close and when you let her walk off with some complete stranger that put you back in that damn shell you created around yourself when I first knew you! Then Jen was born and at first you acted like you loved her but you grew apart, staying at work late, making excuses to not come home, jumping at every chance to go to conference. Then Nicky and it started all over again. You're never there for anything!"

"Oh shut up Calleigh! Who was the one who was so depressed she wanted nothing to do with our daughter when she was born?" Tim yelled.

"I'm sorry that you lost our child and expected me to just get over it and replace her like that!" she screamed, tears clouding her vision. "And if you think this is just about the kids it's not! Ever since that happened you only talk to me if you have to or you want something!"

Tim shook his head and Calleigh got into bed, sobbing quietly. Tim sat there for a few minutes before he lay down as well, more space between the couple than either of them could remember. But when Tim woke up the next morning, Calleigh was in his arms like nothing had happened the night before.


	3. chapter three

"Morning."

Calleigh looked up as Tim stumbled into the kitchen.

"Hi." she said quietly. Tim noticed she wasn't the only one being quiet.

"Where are the kids?"

"I dropped Jen off at softball camp and my mom took Nicky for the day."

"Oh."

"Breakfast is on the stove."

"I'll grab something on the way to work." Tim muttered.

"Horatio has us on call." Calleigh mumbled. Tim nodded and sat across from her.

"I'm sorry honey. Okay? I'm sorry that I screwed up our whole lives." he finally said after minutes of silence. "I'm sorry that I'm not there for Nicky and Jenny. I'm sorry that I don't treat you the way I used to. I'm sorry that I let Abbie out of my sight."

"It's okay. You're human."

"I shouldn't have let my daughter be taken." Tim said faintly. Calleigh stood up and put her plate in the sink. She turned around and saw Tim's shoulders shaking. She bit her lip and kneeled down next to him.

"Tim..." she cupped his face in her hands and gently wiped away the tears that slid down his stubbled cheeks. "I know that you did not mean for that to happen. I know that somewhere, you are still the man that I married even if you don't act like it. I don't need you to hold me and kiss me and make love to me like you used to. I can see it in your eyes that you still love me just as much as the day you first said those words to me. Yes I would love for you to do that but... you're not the only one that suffered losing her."

"I lost your trust Calleigh. That day I lost everything." he murmured, placing his hands on hers.

"But you gained it back."

"No I haven't."

"Yes you have. Cause I've watched you with our kids."

"I'm never here."

"When you don't know it I'm watching. I know you love them Tim and I... I don't understand why you push them away."

"Because I don't want to hurt them like I hurt Abbie." he whispered. "I don't want to get too close to them because I don't want to lose them too. I miss her so much Calleigh."

"I know honey, I miss her too."

"It's all my fault too. Dammit, she was just pissing me off. 'Daddy, down.' Finally I put her down and I thought I had her hand in the tightest grip. I didn't even realize she was gone until it was too late. Jesus Christ I was stupid for thinking a two-year-old would listen to me. I'm so sorry Calleigh. I can't say it enough. God, I thought you'd leave me too."

"You know, you're not the only one that should be apologizing. I'm sorry too."

"For what?"

"For yelling at you last night." Calleigh replied, her voice cracking. "You were right. I missed Abbie so much that it hurt and then I found out I was pregnant right after that and... I... I broke down. She was my baby. I didn't want another child but I love Jenny and Nicky so much. I felt like I was replacing her. I didn't want to give up on her but it's been so long."

"I know." Tim nodded. He was about to go on when the phone rang. "Hello? Yeah... okay... yeah we'll both be there in a few minutes."

He hung the phone up and turned to Calleigh, who was wiping away a few tears.

"That was Horatio. He needs us at a crime scene." Tim said quietly. Calleigh nodded and Tim pulled her into a warm hug. "Calleigh, I do love you and I do love our kids so don't think I don't for a minute. I love you three more than anything even if I don't show it or act it."

"I know that. I love you too Tim." she leaned up and kissed him softly. "We need to get to that crime scene."

"Yes we do. So uh... your mom has Nicky for the whole day?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think you could talk her into keeping him overnight?" Tim asked and Calleigh smiled as she saw the old, mischievous glint in her husband's eyes.

"I could work something out." she agreed.

S/C------

Tim glanced up as his frantic wife rushed into Trace.

"Hi..." he said slowly. Calleigh threw a stack of printouts at him.

"Look at those!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking. Tim took them and saw the first one was an AFIS print-out. The fingerprint was unidentified. He grabbed the next paper and saw it was a CODIS print-out. "I told Valera to run it through every base and see if any matches popped up."

Tim read it slowly, matching up the alleles.

"Alleles match up to... to Detective Tim Speedle and Detective Calleigh Duquesne?" he looked up, confused.

"Read the last one." Calleigh urged. "I... I got an idea so I um... I pulled out the case file and scanned Abbie's prints into the computer."

"99.9 match." Tim mumbled.

"She was at that crime scene Tim... and she's our main suspect."


	4. chapter four

Tim stared at Valera, who was shooting him wary glances.

"Speed, I can't work with you like this."

"Valera, I want everything processed ASAP."

"Okay, leave and I'll be able to work. You're looking at me like you're ready to kill." she said. Tim sighed and gave her a pointed look. "Fine stay but please direct your attention somewhere else."

S/C------

Calleigh walked into DNA and stared oddly at the room's occupants. Tim was staring at the ceiling, his mouth moving silently every few seconds.

"Damn." he cursed. "One, two, three..."

"I'm done!" Valera said happily. "How many ceiling tiles Speed?"

"I lost count about ten times." he grumbled. "What do you got?"

Valera passed him a print out and Calleigh read it over his shoulder.

"The DNA we found under the vic's nails belongs to Allison Roufow." she said. Tim frowned. Where had he heard that name before? (For those of you that don't know. She's the flirty murderer from Grave Young Men and she tries playing Tim to stay out of jail. I looked her name up and I've switched the episode up a bit ;)

"Thanks Valera." he mumbled. Once they were outside, Tim's face got a dazed look on it.

"Tim?"

"Do you remember that case I had about a month before the conference? The girl suffocated her boyfriend with the pillow and the courts said my evidence was insufficient?"

"The one that was flirting with you?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah. I remember. She didn't go to jail did she?"

"No." Tim shook his head. "I got to find her."

S/C-------

"Oh I remember seeing this house on the market. They must've just moved in." Calleigh said as Tim pulled the Hummer into a driveway of a large house.

"Yeah." he mumbled, both of them getting out of the car. They walked up the sidewalk to the front door and Tim rang the doorbell. The door opened and a little girl was standing there.

"Casey! How many times has Mommy told you not to open the doors to strangers?" a female voice called. Tim could hear footsteps coming from one of the back rooms of the home.

"She not home." Casey said.

"I know that but that doesn't mean you just open the door for anyone." A short blonde appeared next to her little sister. "Can I help you?"

"Uh... yeah. I'm Detective Speedle and this is Detective Duquesne. We're with the Miami-Dade Crime Lab. Are your parents home?"

"Well my mother isn't but my father is. Yeah come on in."

"Up, Abbie." Casey said, holding her arms up. Abbie picked Casey up and beckoned the couple into the house.

"Dad!" Abbie called.

"Abbie, don't shout." an older man scolded as he walked into the room. "How can I help you?"

"Sir, I'm Detective Tim Speedle with the Miami-Dade Crime Lab and this is Detective Calleigh Duquesne."

"I'm David Mackenzie. Crime lab?"

"Yes... there's been a murder and I need to ask you a few questions."

"Abbie..." David waved her off with his hand. Her green eyes protested and Calleigh opened her mouth to speak.

"We need to speak with your... father alone." she said. "I think it'd be best if you took your... sister and left the room... Abbie."

She nodded and walked away.

"So what is this about?" David asked. "Something hasn't happened to Allison has it?"

"No." Tim shook his head and set the file in his hand down on the coffee table. He slid it across to David. "Do you know him?"

"Yes. He's Jerry Peters. He's a friend of the family." he replied. "What happened to him?"

"His autopsy says that he was suffocated." Calleigh replied. "When was the last time you saw Jerry?"

"Uh... last night actually. We were at a banquet for our company. We're partners."

"Honey, I'm home! Abbie, come bring these packages in sweetie!" a new voice called throughout the house. The conversation paused as heels clicked as someone walked down the hall into the living room. "Dave... hello."

Tim looked up and met the cool gray eyes of Allison Roufow, well Mackenzie now.

"Allison, this is Detectives Speedle and Duquesne with the Miami-Dade Crime Lab." David said. "This is my wife, Allison."

"Pleasure." she smiled sweetly. "But I'm afraid I have no idea why you're here."

"Your friend Jerry Peters was murdered last night." Calleigh said.

"Jerry? Oh my God." Allison sunk onto the couch next to her husband. "How?"

"Asphyxiation." Tim replied. "Mrs. Mackenzie,"

"Allison." she interrupted, "Call me Allison."

"Allison, your DNA was found under Jerry's fingernails."

"Well I don't know how it got there." she said innocently.

"We're going to need to take you in for questioning." Calleigh said.

S/C------

"Tim, did you see her?" Calleigh asked, tears stinging her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest as she and Tim watched Allison through the one-way window into the interrogation room.

"Yeah." he said quietly.

"How does she not realize? I mean, she's the only blonde/green-eyed person out of that whole family. And she was calling them Mom and Dad and..." Calleigh swiped at her eyes quickly. "They're not her parents. We are."

"Honey, I know just... we need to get through this interrogation and make sure Horatio does not find out because he'll kick us off the case. Okay?" Tim said, rubbing her back gently. Calleigh nodded and took a deep breath before she and Tim walked into the interrogation room. Tim flopped down into a chair across from Allison and Calleigh leaned against the wall.

"So what is this about?" Allison asked.

"Your husband said he last saw Jerry at the banquet, which I found out was held at The Hilton. Did you follow him up to his hotel room?" Tim asked.

"Tim, do you think I did?"

"Allison you got away with murder once. But not this time."

"So you do remember me."

"Yeah." Tim nodded. Calleigh glanced out the window and saw Abbie standing near the waiting area. She leaned down to Tim's ear.

"I'm gonna go for a walk. Can you finish up here?"

He nodded and Calleigh squeezed his shoulder lightly as she stood back up and walked out of the room. She walked up to Abbie, who smiled slightly when she saw her.

"Detective, I'm sorry to bug you." she apologized.

"No. No you're not." Calleigh assured. "Um... why are you here though?"

"Oh. Well... my dad is out in the car. Being a big CEO and everything he's paranoid about being photographed walking into a police station." Abbie rolled her eyes. "He asked if I could run in and see if my mother was done yet."

"Well Det. Speedle is still speaking with her. Why don't we go for a walk until they're finished?"

Abbie nodded and they started walking.

"Do you want something to drink?" Calleigh asked.

"Um... sure." Abbie nodded and Calleigh grabbed a cup from the water cooler and filled it halfway. "I... I really don't think she did it."

"I'm not going to say anything." Calleigh held the paper cup out to her and she gratefully took it. Abbie sipped the water slowly as they talked. "Do you know what happened last night?"

"Jerry went to the elevators and my mother did follow him. I went up there too. I was looking for my mother and she pulled me into the room. Jerry was sitting there having a good time. He asked me to hand him his PDA, which was on the night stand. Jerry asked me to have a drink. My mom was in the bathroom. I refused and he slapped me. Blood flew out of my mouth and I ran out of the room. That's all I know."

"Abbie, honey what are you doing here?" Allison sauntered over, Tim a few feet behind her.

"Dad sent me in to see if you were done yet. I was talking to Det. Duquesne." she replied.

"Well I'm done now. I suppose I'll be speaking with you later Detectives." Allison wrapped a hand around Abbie's arm, pulling her towards the door. Calleigh stared down at the cup in her hand.


	5. chapter five

Calleigh sighed deeply into Tim's chest as he softly caressed her back.

"Don't you want her back?" she asked quietly.

"Of course I do but we can't just barge in and say you kidnapped our daughter." Tim replied. "We have to prove it somehow."

"The DNA and prints we found at the crime scene are hers. She told me that she was up in the room."

"Calleigh, you've seen hotel rooms. There are dozens of prints and DNA is everywhere. Those may not be the ones."

"Tim, you saw her!" she exclaimed softly. "I... how much longer are you going to deny it? She... she looks exactly like me."

"I know but..."

"But nothing. And that doesn't even matter! I think I know when I'm seeing one of my children."

"Okay. Let's not worry about this now. Can we get some sleep?"

"I can't sleep knowing she's about twenty minutes away instead the next room over." Calleigh muttered. Tim rolled her off him and sat up.

"What are you going to do when we present the evidence and it does say that it's her? Do you plan to uproot her from everything she's known for the past fourteen years and expect her to act like she's always been here?"

Calleigh was cut off by the phone ringing. She grabbed it off the night stand and hit 'talk.'

"Hello?"

"Hi. It's Valera. I hope I didn't wake you."

"No. We were awake."

"Oh."

"So?"

Okay. The print you lifted off the cup matches the one found at the scene. The DNA matches the DNA from the scene too."

"Meaning it is her, not that I doubted it for a second."

S/C-------

"The samples were collected without a warrant."

"The cup was in the garbage and garbage is public property." Calleigh defended.

"I can't just reopen the case Calleigh as much as all of us want to." Horatio said. "Just... get what you can out of Allison for now."

"Horatio..."

"Calleigh, I'm sorry. I really am. I know what this means to you but I can't do anything right now. Not at this time at least. You've waited fourteen years. Another few days isn't going to make much of a difference."

She shook her head and stood up, walking over to the window that overlooked the trace lab. She watched Tim work for a few minutes before speaking again.

"Horatio, you don't have kids. You don't understand what I've been going through since that day. You may not think that a few days is a difference but it is."

Horatio looked at his CSI and nodded.

"Alright. Look, I'll go down to the evidence vault and get the evidence up. Go over everything again, trying to link something to Allison. When you find something, come and get me."

S/C------

"Hey. You paged me?"

Calleigh looked over her shoulder when she heard Tim walk in.

"These are the tapes from the conference." she said quietly. "You know, fourteen years ago we didn't have the techniques we have today."

"I know."

"I focused in on you for a few frames and tagged Abbie. I won't lose her in the crowd this time. She walks over to that fish tank and a woman walks up. I remember that day so clearly. They shut everything down and those doors were too big for her to push open by herself anyway. Someone took her. Right before they get out the door, that someone turns and glances around." Calleigh froze the frame and magnified. "That's Allison."

"How did she get in?"

"The hotel was still open to the public. She could've walked in that way."

Tim smiled and kissed her.

"Good work."

S/C-------

"You know the last time Allison, the jury didn't think charm prints on a pillow case was enough." Tim said, pacing the interrogation room. Allison watched him with an amused look in her eyes. "But this time, I have your DNA in other places than Jerry's fingernails... so explain."

"Fine. You caught me. We were having an affair. We stole a few minutes away from the party to spend some time together. Abbie followed me. When I came out of the bathroom Jerry was yelling at her and I told my daughter to leave."

"Remind me later to say something about that too. But go on..."

"After we made love for a while, Jerry told me it was over. No one says no to me." Allison said.

"So you suffocated him because people accidentally get smothered with pillows all the time." Tim said, remembering the last time he encountered her. "Now, about Abbie."

"Don't you dare drag my daughter into this."

Tim smirked and slid a paper across the table.

"What's this?"

"A CODIS report. Abbie has no relation to you whatsoever."

"Fine. She's my stepdaughter."

"She doesn't have any relation to David either." Tim said. Allison stared at him. Tim nodded at the window and a uniform brought in a TV and VCR. "This is a tape from The Sheridan Resort in Tampa Bay from fourteen years ago."

Tim began to play the tape.

"Now, Abbie is the one that is tagged by that little arrow. How did she get from me to you?"

"You took her?" Allison replied. Tim slid another printout across the table. Allison stared at it.

"Why Allison?"

"I heard you on the phone as they brought me out." she said. "Talking about your precious little girl. I plotted my revenge. I followed you around for the next month and I knew you were the type of guy to turn your back and something's gone. So when Abbie left your side, I took her. She had no problem, very friendly toddler. My next plan was to get you, the only thing that I wanted but then I realized that you were a CSI and somehow would end up contacting your little scientist friends. Then it would be over. Abbie was a good age to take. Rarely do kids remember anything when they're two."

"You make me sick."

"David won't let her go Tim. You're just beating a dead horse."

Tim shook his head and walked over to the door.

"Arrest her." he muttered.


	6. chapter six

"Um... well this is Nicky's room and I don't think you want to stay there, it's a bit messy." Calleigh said. Abbie giggled. "He's at my mom's for a few days. Then, here's Jen's room. She's at softball camp for the next two weeks so you can stay in here until your room is fixed up."

"Okay."

"Whatever you want, just ask Abbie. Okay?"

She nodded and sat down on the bed slowly. Calleigh hesitantly walked in and sat at Jen's desk.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You're my mother. I don't see why not." Abbie smiled.

"Do you remember anything?"

"Sometimes. But they're just flashes and they never really meant anything to me before."

Calleigh nodded.

"Okay, well I'll let you get to bed." she smiled, standing up. "Good night."

"'Night."

"I'll uh... I'll leave the light on." Calleigh said. "Well not that you need it, I mean... you can just turn it off when you want."

"Okay." Abbie nodded, a smirk fighting its way to her face.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just... you're so fussy."

"I'm sorry."

"No. It's new to me. My... Allison never did that."

"Oh. Well... you can um... ask your brother and sister... I um... I do it a lot." Calleigh nodded sheepishly.

"It's okay."

"Okay. Well, again, good night."

"'Night."

Calleigh closed the door softly behind her and stood in the hallway, her head resting against the wall. A cell phone rang and Calleigh stared at her waist until she heard Abbie talk.

"What? No... no I'm fine. Why do you care Mark? Oh so... that's nice. Yeah. They're nice. Are they making me sleep in the attic? What... did you drink anything tonight? No I'm sleeping in my... sister's room. She's at softball camp. Yeah I have a sister and a brother. Jen and Nicky. I can go downstairs and get my mother if you want their life story. Yeah it is kind of weird I guess. I mean... they did raise me for two years but... well I don't know."

Calleigh stepped away from the door and walked downstairs. Tim looked away from the TV when he felt the couch sink under her weight.

"She okay?"

"Yeah." Calleigh nodded. "Now I don't know if we did the right thing."

"Why?"

"It's just weird."

"She'll be fine."

"What about us?"

"What are you talking about? We're fine with it!"

"Let me rephrase that. What about our other two children?"

"Oh." Tim mumbled. "I'm sure they'll be fine with it."

S/C--------

Abbie jumped when she heard Tim enter the room.

"I'm sorry. I just.."

"No. Don't. It's been uh... a long time since I heard someone play that." Tim smiled, slowly sinking down onto the couch. "When did you learn to play?"

Abbie shrugged, running her fingers lightly over the piano keys.

"I was in the music room at school and I just started playing the piano during class. My teacher was shocked. I guess she didn't expect to be able to play." she said. "After class she pulled me aside and asked if I wanted to stay after school and show her some more songs. I told her I didn't really know how to play so she offered to teach me."

Tim nodded and moved over to the piano bench. Abbie moved over so he had room to sit. Tim smirked slightly and did a C scale.

"You play?" Abbie asked.

"I used to." Tim replied, going into a jazz song. "I haven't played in a long time though."

"I like this song." Abbie mumbled.

"You like jazz?"

"Some of it. This song, yes. It's been a long time since I heard it."

"I used to play this all the time. One of the songs I did know how to play." Tim added as an afterthought, making Abbie giggle. "Other things I played by ear or made up my own tune."

Calleigh watched the two of them from the doorway.

"You used to sit here with me." Tim remembered. "Ruined a lot of the songs but I forgave you."

He smiled over at his daughter and she turned red. The screen door in the kitchen slammed shut as Nicky ran in. Calleigh quickly grabbed him and gave him a look that said, 'keep quiet.' Tim finally turned around about ten minutes later and looked at Calleigh. She pointed at Nicky, who was staring at Abbie with confusion. Tim nudged Abbie gently and she glanced over her shoulder.

"You're Nicky I guess." she smiled.

"Who are you?" he asked, hiding behind Calleigh. She smiled and pulled him out from behind her.

"Nicky, this is Abbie, your... sister."

"Great. I have another one." he rolled his eyes. "Wait what?"

Calleigh and Tim slowly explained every in sugarcoated terms so Nicky would understand.

"Oh." was all he said.

S/C-------

"No," Abbie laughed, taking the puzzle piece from Nicky. "It doesn't go there."

"How do you know?" he asked.

"Because it's not even made to fit in that piece. Besides it an edge piece. It can't go in the middle of the puzzle."

"I'm bad at this." Nicky grumbled.

"No. You just have to look at it."

Tim grinned as he watched the siblings put together a jigsaw puzzle. Calleigh walked up and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"He's adjusted very well."

"Well yeah. Jen doesn't play with him like she does." Tim smirked. "Speaking of Jen..."

"Melissa's mother is picking them up from the camp." Calleigh replied. Tim nodded as the front door open.

"...no! Don't tell him that!" Jen laughed. "I'll call you later! Thanks Mrs. Anderson!"

She closed the door and the laughter died as she saw Abbie and Nicky having a good time in the living room.

"Are you guys going out? I could've watched Nicky."

"No. We're not." Tim replied, turning around. "How was camp?"

"Fun. Who is she?"

"Come on." Tim pulled Jen upstairs and shut his bedroom door. "Alright, I know this is odd and confusing and everything else under the sun. Before you were born, your mom and I had another daughter, Abbie. She had gotten kidnapped while your mom and I were at a conference in Tampa Bay. While you were gone, I had a case at work and evidence popped up saying that she was still alive and was with the suspect of the murder I was investigated. The murderer was her kidnapper and now we have her back. So downstairs, that's her, Abbie, your older sister."

Jen stared at her father.

"Jen..."

"I'm gone for two weeks and everything suddenly changes and everyone is alright with it." she said, nodding. "That's good."

"Look, don't give her an attitude when you go down there." Tim warned. "Because I swear..."

"How come everyone is fine with this?"

"Because she's your sister."

"I don't even know her!" Jen exclaimed. "And you and Mom are just fine with this? That you have another person to take care of? You can barely take care of me and Nick let alone another kid!"

"Alright, enough!"

"No!"

"JENNIFER!"

"You just expect me to switch my life for some girl that you think you know but really you don't?" she asked. "Well it's not going to happen!"

"Will you stop being so selfish?"

"Me? You're the one that's telling me that this is how things are going to be from now on!"

"You know what? You're right. Deal with this however you want to." Tim said. "Jenny, listen..."

"No. I'm going in my room." she muttered, walking out. Tim sighed and walked out as well, going downstairs. Things were not going to be easy, he could tell.


	7. chapter seven

"Mom?"

"What Jen?" Calleigh's eyes were focused on the newspaper in her hands.

"When are we going to go school shopping?"

"What?"

"Morning." Abbie smiled brightly as she walked in.

"Morning honey." Calleigh smiled. "What were you saying Jen?"

"Nothing." she mumbled. "I'll be in my room."

"Okay, have fun."

Jen sat in her seat for a few seconds, then left the room, heading towards the stairs. She bumped into Tim, who stared at her for a moment then walked passed her as if nothing happened. Jen screamed as she rolled out of bed. Her bedroom door burst open and a worried Tim and Calleigh rushed in.

"What are you screaming about?" Tim asked, helping her off the floor.

"What's going on?" a sleepy Abbie appeared in the doorway.

"Nothing, go back to bed honey." Calleigh replied. Abbie shrugged and disappeared down the hall to her room. "Jenny, what's going on?"

"Nothing." she muttered, yanking her arm out of her father's grasp. "I'm fine. Leave me alone."

"Jen..."

"Mom, leave me alone."

Tim smirked. She never said, 'Daddy, leave me alone.'

"You too Dad." Tim's grin faded. It was like Jen knew that he was happy about not being told to leave and rubbing it in Calleigh's face. How did she do that? Calleigh dragged him from the room and closed the door behind them.

"What is wrong with her?" she asked as they walked back into their bedroom.

"I don't know..."

"Yes you do know. She's been like this since Abbie came back."

"So?"

"So. You explained everything to her." Calleigh said, poking Tim in the chest. He grabbed her hand gently and pulled her closer to him. "No... don't even start..."

"Don't start what?" Tim asked innocently and dipped his head to kiss her neck.

"Don't start changing the subject and expect me to just be happy with you."

"You're not happy with me?" Tim stopped but didn't move his head.

"No Timothy, I am not."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... what's with the Timothy? What the hell did I do?" he pulled away from her and pouted.

"You obviously said something to make her upset!"

"Why do you assume it was me?"

"Because you told her about Abbie!"

"I explained it just the way you told me to and then she went crazy saying that we can barely take, well maybe she was just talking about me, can barely take care of her and Nick and how did we, or I, expect to take care of another kid. She also said she wasn't changing her life and around and I said fine, deal with it however you want."

"Go talk to her." Calleigh ordered.

"But... I wasn't done."

"With talking? There's more?"

"No. I was done with that. I wasn't done with you." Tim grinned, pulling her back to him. She slapped his chest and pulled away from him.

"If, and this is a really big if because somehow you always find a way to screw something up Tim, if you manage to fix everything, then MAYBE when you come back." Calleigh said, getting into bed.

"Ooh you're bribing me." he smirked, heading for the door. His hand was on the doorknob and he turned back to his wife. "But, I don't think I can fix sibling rivalry."

"Then I guess you you're going to sleep when you come back in."

"That was cold Calleigh."

"Mhmm."

Tim rolled his eyes and walked out into the hallway, heading towards Jen's room. He opened the door quietly and saw Jen staring at the door, wide awake.

"I don't want to talk."

"Yeah well I do." Tim closed the behind him and flicked the light switch on. Jen blinked when the bright light hit her eyes. "I'm sorry if I... screwed your life up."

"Huh?"

"With Abbie I mean, I must not have explained it right enough."

"No Dad, it was perfect." Jen rolled over.

"Then what's wrong with you? Me and Mommy are worried."

Jen laughed at that.

"Mhmm."

"We are."

"I'm sure she is but I don't know about you."

"Have I really been that bad of a father to you that you don't think I care about you?"

"I don't know. You're never here."

"Jen, look I'm sorry. I really am. You don't know how things were."

"You mean, I don't know how things were when Abbie was around." she muttered. "Why did you lie to me... actually that wouldn't be said as lying. You never even said anything. Why not?"

"When she was taken, that hurt your mother and me really bad. Things were bad between us."

"Things are still bad between you. All you guys do is fight or you ignore each other."

"No we don't."

"Yes you do." Jen said. "I've heard you two when you think me and Nicky aren't listening."

"Nicky's heard?"

"Nicky is sure that you two are splitting up and won't decide who goes with who so he's going to have to live with Grandma. I don't think he's worried about you two divorcing. He's worried about having to go live with her. I mean, I would be too. Her house smells, the cats are senile, as is she, she is a horrible cook... you know, once I found a nickel in one of her brownies and I told her and she said, 'its okay. Just keep it.' like she didn't care that one of us may have choked on her spare change."

"Okay, first of all, your mother and I may have some issues sometimes but we're not getting a divorce. And none of you are going to live with Grandma. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Hey, Nicky said it. Not me."

"Yeah well I think I have a good idea who put it in his head." Tim said. Jen rolled her eyes at the wall. "And I know you're rolling your eyes so stop it. Listen, I promise that I'm going to try harder at being here and at things and being closer to you and your siblings."

"Okay."

"Don't give me that. I'm serious."

"I know you are."

"I can hear the sarcasm dripping from your voice. I'm not stupid, however much I may act like it."

"I'm tired. I want to go back to sleep."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong?"

"Fine! I'm sick of you not realizing that you have two kids! I hate that you favor Abbie over me and Nicky even though you've only known her two weeks!"

"Couldn't you have put that in nicer terms?" Tim asked, a hurt tone in his voice. "I don't favor one of you over the other and I'm sorry that I'm not always here and at every game or... or... do any of those things. Things are going to be different though."

"Yeah." Jen muttered. Tim shook his head and walked out, slamming the door lightly behind him. Calleigh looked up as he walked back into their room.

"Did go too well huh?"

"How did you know?"

"The look on your face." Calleigh replied.

"You know," Tim started, getting back into bed. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. "From the moment I met you, I knew that somehow I'd marry you. And with that thought in my head, I started thinking about all the things that came with marriage. A house, a dog, kids... and I... I swore that when we did have kids, if we ever did get together, that I'd be a better father than mine was, that I'd be there for them and I'd just do everything the best I could. I haven't done any of that and I'm just like him."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is. Don't lie to make me feel better about myself. I'm a horrible father."

"Oh stop."

"You even said it."

"I did not ever say that!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Day after the conference, we still didn't find Abbie. You came up, slapped me across the face and said, 'I hate you. You are the most horrible father that I have ever come across and I thought mine was bad.'" Tim remembered. "That had to have been the worst thing that anyone had ever said to me. I realized then that I had failed as a father and things weren't going to be the same between us again. They aren't. I thought that when we got Abbie back, we could pretend that the past fourteen years hadn't happened and we could all be happy with each other."

Tim rolled onto his side and stared at Calleigh.

"I thought that we could go back to the way that we were before all of this started."


	8. chapter eight

"I know that I have three children that need to be in school in about an hour!" Calleigh called upstairs. Three simultaneous groans answered her. "And I know that I have a wonderful husband that should be getting up for work!" A thud answered her. Calleigh sighed and walked back into the kitchen, waiting for the four laziest people in the world to come in. How was she the only morning person in her family? Calleigh finally heard the shower start, wondering whom it was that finally dragged themselves out of bed, or off the floor in Tim's case.

"Morning." Nicky mumbled, his black hair sticking up in odd places.

"Morning honey. Ready for school?" Calleigh smiled brightly. "Oh God, run a brush through that hair."

"Maybe later and no I'm not ready for school."

A grouchy Jen strode into the kitchen next.

"What's wrong?" Calleigh asked.

"One, school starts up again today. First day of high school. And two, Miss Princess won't get out of the shower." Jen replied. "Can't you tell her to get out?"

"You can take a shower in my bathroom." Calleigh replied.

"Dad's still sleeping."

"Dad's right there." Nicky corrected, seeing his father stumble into the kitchen.

"How many times have I told you to keep those toys off the stairs?" Tim asked. Nicky grinned sheepishly. "One of these days Nicholas..."

"We're all in such a happy mood this morning." Calleigh mumbled as Tim leaned down and kissed her quickly. "Jen, you can go use my shower."

She nodded and walked out of the kitchen.

"What's bugging her?" Tim asked.

"High school."

"Oh."

"Good morning." Abbie smiled, walking in. Nicky stared at her.

"You're happy about going back to school?"

"Yeah."

"Weirdo." Nicky mumbled under his breath, earning a whack across the back of his head from his father.

"Take a leaf out of your sister's book." Tim suggested. "School's fun."

"Yeah." Abbie nodded. "Do you do good in everything?"

"No." Nicky shook his head. "I'm not good at math."

"Well I could help you with that."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Abbie stood on her tippy toes to get into the cabinet. She frowned when she saw her water bottle all the way in the back. Reaching into the cabinet for it, Abbie knocked over a few plastic cups, hitting Tim in the head.

"Ow." he muttered, picking them up.

"Dad, are you mad?" Abbie asked worriedly. Everything in the kitchen stopped, well except Nicky. He kept on swallowing his Fruit Loops. Calleigh looked up at Tim, who had a dazed look on his face. That had been the first time in the past three weeks that Abbie had addressed either of them as 'Mom' or 'Dad.'

"What?" Tim snapped out of his reverie. "No. No, I couldn't mad at you for tossing a cup at me."

"Actually they fell." Abbie said sheepishly.

S/C------

Jen stared down at her schedule and then back into the classroom. This wasn't possible.

"Young lady, are you going to take a seat?" the teacher asked. Jen looked around and saw her sister chatting in the back of the room. This was really wrong. Abbie was a junior and she was freshman.

"I think I'm in the wrong class." Jen said stupidly.

"Freshman." a boy in the front smirked. The teacher glared at him and beckoned Jen further into the classroom.

"Let me see your schedule." she ordered gently. Jen gladly handed it over and the teacher, Ms. Andrews, looked it over. Ms. Andrews glanced down at her roster and nodded. "This is where you're supposed to be Jennifer so sit down."

"No... no you don't understand. I'm not a junior." Jen stammered. "I'm just a freshman."

"Well for now, take a seat."

"But..."

"Jenny!" Abbie hissed.

"Oh you know Abbie." Ms. Andrews had a fond tone in her voice as she stared at the blonde. "She'll help you out."

"I don't need her help." Jen muttered as she went to go sit next to her. But for a minute, Jen did want her big sister to protect her.

S/C------

"Why is this happening to me?" Jen complained. "I never did anything wrong in my life!"

She and her friends slowly made their way through the crowded cafeteria.

"Maybe you were put in advanced classes?"

"I can barely add Melissa. How did I get in Advanced Algebra?" Jen snapped. "I can't eat! I'm going to the office."

"What do you think they'll do?"

"Get my schedule back to what it's supposed to be. And you know what the worst part of it all is?" Jen asked.

"What?"

"Abbie is in all of my classes and she's perfect! Every time I explain to one of my teachers that I'm not supposed to be in the class, she or he said, 'Oh go sit by Abbie. She'll help you.' I don't need her help!"

"Hey, at least you have a sibling in high school." Melissa said. "I'm all by my lonesome. And would you rather be stuck in a room full of juniors who you don't know or at least have your sister with you?"

Jen wouldn't admit it, but she was glad that Abbie was with her.

S/C-----

Tim glanced up as the door opened and Calleigh, Abbie, and Jen walked in.

"And she said that I have a really good chance of getting it if I work hard enough." Abbie was saying.

"I'm sure you'll get it." Calleigh smiled.

"Get what?" Tim asked.

"A scholarship. It's a writing contest. It doesn't have to be in for a few months but my English teacher said if I do a really good story then I have a chance of winning and get a scholarship to the college of my choice." Abbie explained.

"Wow. That's really great. What about you Jenny?"

"Huh?"

"How was the first day of high school?"

"Sucked." Jen replied.

"That's nice to know. What happened?"

"Well first, my schedule is all screwed up so I have all junior level classes instead of freshman classes. Second, Abbie is in every class of mine. Third, my teachers are horrible. Fourth, I don't understand anything they're talking about! I asked for my schedule to be changed and they said I'm going to have to wait a few days. I told my teachers and I still have to do all the work they assigned!"

"I'm sure Abbie can help you with it." Tim assured. "And I'm sure everything will be fine."


	9. chapter nine

Tim tightened his grasp on Calleigh's waist as she shifted in her sleep.

"I'm not going anywhere." she mumbled.

"I don't wanna go to work today." Tim whispered, running his fingers through his wife's blonde locks. "Let's stay home."

Calleigh gave a sleepy laugh and finally opened her sparkling, green eyes.

"I'm sure Horatio would love that. Remember, Miami never closes. Besides what would we do? The kids would be at school."

"That's very good." Tim smirked. "I could think of a lot of things to do in six hours."

"Enlighten me." Calleigh winked. Tim leaned closer to her, pressing his lips against hers hungrily and moved slightly so he was on top of her.

"Cal..." he tugged at the bottom of her tank top desperately as he kissed her neck, driving her crazy. She moaned, running her hand through his hair.

"Mom?"

Tim dropped his head in defeat, burying his face in her shoulder.

"What Nick?"

"When's breakfast?"

Tim kissed Calleigh slowly. She began to push him away but returned the sensuous kiss.

"Mom?"

"In a minute Nick!" Tim exclaimed.

"Sorry!" he squeaked, running downstairs. Calleigh laughed at the defeated look on her husband's face and kissed him once more.

"It's Friday. I'll get my mom to take them." she promised. "Then you're mine Speedle."

"That sounds like a plan." he grinned. "I love you Calleigh."

"I love you too Tim and I like this you."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Well... ever since Abbie came back you went back to the man I used to know."

"I don't know. It was like... part of me was gone when she got taken. Now that she's back I feel whole again."

"I hope he's staying." Calleigh smiled slightly.

"Definitely. He's not leaving." Tim promised.

S/C------

Jen rolled her eyes as Abbie explained the math problem on the board.

"So then the simplified answer would be 33x(21x - 14xy)." she finished.

"Very good Abbie!" Mr. Sanchez clapped. "Jen, why don't you get up there?"

"Um... I don't really know what I'm doing." she said quietly.

"It's easy." Mr. Sanchez said. "Go on."

Jen sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she walked up to the board. Justin Jackson stuck his foot out as she past and she stumbled. A few of the kids laughed and Jen turned red as she finally got up to the board. Abbie smiled at her and handed over the chalk.

"You need help?" she asked quietly.

"No." Jen snapped, her Speedle stubbornness shining through. "Why do you have to be so perfect?"

"I'm sorry." Abbie's voice had a hurt tone in it. "If you wanted help last night I would've given it to you. Dad said I would."

"Aww... Abbie's trying to help out her baby sister." Justin cooed. "How cute."

"Jackson you want to stay after school?" Mr. Sanchez asked. Abbie dropped the chalk on the floor and both she and Jen went down to pick it up. When they stood back up, Abbie quickly went to her seat and Jen stared down at her paper. She knew she had done the homework wrong last night and she knew she was going to make a fool of herself up at the board. Jen glanced down at what she had written and her jaw dropped slightly. Instead of Jen Speedle written at the top of the paper, it said Abbie Speedle in a big flourish of letters. She glanced to the back of the room, where Abbie was slowly going through Jen's work.

"Jen you gonna start?" Mr. Sanchez asked.

"No."

Abbie's head snapped up.

"No?"

"Yeah. It's not my paper." Jen walked back to her seat and snatched her worksheet out of Abbie's hands. "I don't need you helping me or giving me the answers. I can figure it out on my own."

"Jen..."

"No! I hate you! I hate that you're so perfect and I hate that you think that you can just waltzed in and... and... and make everything all happy. We were doing just fine without you!"

"Oh really? Then why were you yelling at Dad that he doesn't do anything? I'm sure that you were just fine. You know, I've been nothing but nice to you since I came back and you've been rude and nasty!" Abbie exclaimed.

"Girls..." Mr. Sanchez started. The feuding sisters ignored him.

"You just had to walk in and make everyone like you! Get all the attention!" Jen went on.

"At least you know everyone!"

"I barely know our own parents because they're so distraught over you, their little princess being gone!" Jen screamed hysterically. "So don't even sit there and say that I have it better than you because I don't!"

"Girls!" Mr. Sanchez yelled. The class was staring at them in shock. The math teacher didn't have a chance to go on as the phone connected to the office began to ring. He grabbed it off the wall, greeting whoever was on the other end. "Mhmm..."

His eyes landed on Abbie and Jen, who looked about ready to rip each other eyes out.

"Both of them? Okay. Alright. They'll be right down." Mr. Sanchez hung up. "Abbie, Jen, your father's in the office. You're going home."

They collected their things and headed for the door.

"But don't think I'm not talking to you about your disruptive behavior when you come back tomorrow."

Abbie and Jen exchanged a glance when they saw Tim leaning against the wall outside the office.

"Hey." he said quietly. "Uh... come on."

"Where are we going?" Jen asked, following her father out to the parking lot. He ignored her and got into the Tahoe. "Abbie?"

"Leave me alone Jen." she muttered, getting into the passenger seat. Jen stood defeated, then got into the back seat, wondering what was going on.

S/C-----

"What's going on?" Jen asked for what seemed the tenth time since Tim had picked her and Abbie up from school. Her grandparents, Eric, Horatio, and Nicky were there. Tim collapsed into his recliner and motioned for his kids to sit on the couch. Abbie looked around, doing a quick headcount.

"Dad?"

Tim looked up.

"Where's Mom?"


	10. chapter ten

Tim's head was buried in his hands as he sat on the edge of his bed. A knock on the door made him come back to Earth.

"What?" he called out weakly.

"Nicky said he's hungry." Abbie's voice filtered into his dark bedroom.

"There's money in my wallet. Order a pizza."

"Are you going to eat?"

Eat? What was that? Since last night that word among other words had disappeared from Tim Speedle's vocabulary.

"Dad?"

"Yeah. Just... get me when it comes."

Tim heard Abbie walk away from the door and he fell back onto his bed, tears stinging his eyes. How had this all happened? Yesterday morning they were joking around. Things were beginning to go back to normal. But then, at approximately 10:20 AM, Horatio called and gave Tim the worst news he could've ever heard. Calleigh, his beautiful, happy-go-lucky Calleigh was... well Tim couldn't even bring himself to say it. He took a deep breath, memories from yesterday flooding his brain. She was gone, as in dead.

_Flashback_

"_Oh Timmy, you shouldn't be here." Alexx said quietly, unshed tears in her eyes. He shook his head and moved over to the cold, metal table where Calleigh lay. Tim bit back a sob as he stood there, staring at her prone form. "You want to be alone?" _

_Tim managed a nod and Alexx patted him on the shoulder as she walked by. He didn't notice that Horatio, Eric, and now Alexx, were up in the observation room, watching his every move. Tim didn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. He wanted Calleigh to sit up, give him her brilliant smile and say she was sorry for giving him a heart attack practically. But somewhere Tim knew it wasn't going to happen, as much as he wished it would. The dark stain of her blood on the white blouse was too real. She was too pale. _

"Dad!"

Tim slowly sat up as Abbie, yet again, pulled him back into the present. He swiped at his eyes and opened the door, going downstairs. The kitchen was too quiet. Nicky stared at his slice of pizza, Abbie was going through the cabinet, and Jen was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's your sister?" Tim asked quietly.

"In her room." Abbie replied. Tim nodded and went back towards the stairs, heading towards Jen's room. He knocked quietly on the door.

"I'm not hungry." Jen said dully. Tim opened the door and stepped into the room.

"I didn't ask you if you were." he said, sitting down on her bed. Jen didn't look up from her desk.

"Well I'm not eating."

"I didn't say you had to. I would like you too..."

"Yeah well I'd like for Mom to come back but..." Jen stopped with a sob. Tim moved over to her, pulling her into his arms. She struggled against him for a minute then wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. "I-I-It's not f-f-fair."

"I know it's not."

"I w-want M-Mommy."

"I want her too Jenny." Tim didn't know how long he had sat there but Jen's breathing evened out as she fell asleep. He gently lay her down on her bed and pulled the blanket up over her. She shifted slightly but stayed asleep. Tim leaned down and kissed her forehead quickly. When he went back downstairs, Abbie was sitting alone at the kitchen table, her eyes fixed on the table top.

"Nicky went upstairs." she said quietly, sensing her father's presence.

"I figured." Tim lowered himself down into a chair and slid the pizza box over to him. He tossed a slice of pizza onto his plate and looked over at his daughter. "How are you doing?"

"In shock."

"Yeah. Know what you mean."

"It's not fair."

"Jenny said the same."

"No. It's really not fair. I only knew her for three weeks. I don't remember anything from when I was a baby." Abbie's voice began to crack but she didn't cry. "I guess I was being stupid for thinking that the past fourteen years could suddenly reverse and it could be like I was always here."

"You weren't. I thought the same. But then I thought of your sister and brother and I knew that they were used to things being a certain way and they weren't going to suddenly accept you like me and Mom did."

"I was stupid for running off." Abbie suddenly said.

"What?" Tim looked up at her.

"I told you to put me down and you did. I wanted... I wanted to go see something and I walked off."

"How do you remember that?"

"I don't know." Abbie shook her head. "Yesterday, when I hit you with the cups I got a flash of something."

"You threw your cup at me in the car." Tim explained. "And said, 'Daddy, mad?'."

Abbie stood up and threw her plate in the garbage. She turned to walk out of the kitchen and Tim beckoned her over. He hugged her tightly and Abbie buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"I promise that I will find some way to make everything okay." Tim said quietly.

"I really don't want tomorrow to come." Abbie whispered, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

"Neither do I."


	11. chapter eleven

Tim sat numbly as the funeral slowly progressed. He glanced on either side of him. Nicky was desperately trying to avert everyone's stares. Abbie was looking straight ahead and Tim was sure she was looking at nothing. Jen's eyes were focused on her lap, determined to not look up at Calleigh's casket. Tim was handed the flag that draped Calleigh's casket and he stared down at it, not registering what was happening. This wasn't supposed to be happening, not yet at least. They were supposed to be older, much older when they died. Abbie, Jen, and Nicky were supposed to be all grown up and have their own families by then. It wasn't supposed to be him left with three kids to raise on his own. The 21 Gun Salute began and Tim felt a piece of him being taken away with every shot. Every memory of Calleigh he ever had suddenly surfaced. The day he met her...

_Tim looked up as Horatio walked into Trace, a petite blonde behind him. _

"_Finally, the trace lab." Horatio was saying. "And here's the last member of the crew. Speed, come here." _

_Tim reluctantly moved away from the microscope and smoothly sauntered over to where Horatio was standing. _

"_I'm Tim Speedle." he extended his hand and the blonde shook it, a smile on her face. _

"_Calleigh Duquesne." _

She was having a bad day...

"_You need to take it easy Cal." Tim smirked, not looking up from the pictures he was going over. _

"_Oh I'm sorry that I have so much work to do and so little time to do it in!" she snapped._

"_You know what you need?" _

"_No but I have a feeling you're going to tell me." _

"_You need a really good kiss to make you loosen up." _

"_You know, if it wasn't me and I didn't know how you were, I'd be very offended by that comment." Calleigh smiled. "So who is going to be giving me this kiss?" _

_Tim leaned over the layout table and gently pulled her closer to him. Calleigh's eyes closed as Tim's lips met hers. They pulled away a few seconds later. _

"_Have dinner with me." Tim said quietly. _

He took her on a weekend vacation...

_Calleigh leaned back against Tim's chest as they watched the fireworks. He rested his chin on her shoulder and he was able to hear her over the booming and everyone's oohs and ahhs. _

"_Isn't it beautiful?" _

"_Not as beautiful as you are." Tim said, making Calleigh smile. _

"_Stop it." _

"_I'm being serious. Nothing and no one can match your beauty." _

"_You're very smooth with comments Mr. Speedle." _

_Tim grinned to himself as she said his name. _

"_How about you become Mrs. Speedle?" _

_Calleigh seemed to have froze in his arms and then turned around to face him. _

"_What?" _

_Tim got down on one knee and pulled out a diamond ring. _

"_I love you more than anything Calleigh and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" _

"_I... oh my God... yes! Yes of course!" she exclaimed happily and Tim smiled as he slid the ring onto her finger. Calleigh stared down at it in awe and looked back up at Tim, tears filling her eyes. She quickly pulled him to her, pressing her lips against his. "Tim, I love you. I love you so much." _

Tim buried his head in his hands, hoping that he would wake up and find it was all a bad dream. The shots kept coming though and so did the memories. Their wedding day...

_Tim fidgeted as he waited at the altar impatiently. Eric clamped a hand down on his shoulder, forcing him to look at him. _

"_Calm down." _

_Tim nodded as the doors at the end of the aisle opened. Calleigh was there, looking as beautiful as ever, on her father's arm. Their eyes connected and she gave him a smile, which was enough to make Tim melt. Tim had a good feeling he was grinning like an idiot when Calleigh's father passed her off to him. _

'_I love you.' she mouthed. _

'_I love you too.' he mouthed back and felt himself drowning in her eyes. She always had that affect on him. _

"_Tim..." _

"_Huh?" _

_Their guests chuckled. Tim had been so deep in thought that he hadn't heard the priest begin talking to him, telling him to repeat what he said. _

"_Oh!" he turned red, making Calleigh smile. Why was he so damn cute?_

He waited outside that door for what seemed to be hours...

"_Baby come on!" Tim groaned impatiently. "Are you done yet?" _

"_Yeah." came her quiet reply as she opened the door. "Tim..." _

"_Well?" _

"_I-It's positive." Calleigh stammered, a shocked, yet happy look on her face. _

"_Are you sure?" _

"_Yes I'm sure! Why the hell do you think I was in there, looking at that damn stick for fifteen minutes!" Calleigh exclaimed as Tim scooped her up into his arms. "I can't believe it! I... we... a baby..." _

"_Finally!" Tim exclaimed, kissing her deeply. Calleigh giggled against his lips. _

"_You're so impatient." _

"_Yeah now I have to wait another stinking nine months." Tim pouted. "I love you. You know that right? I love you so much!" _

"_I know. I love you too. Now put me down! We're gonna be late for work." _

Tim looked over at Abbie, that day still clear in his mind...

_Calleigh and Tim looked at each other, identical looks of relief on their faces, as they heard the unmistakable sound of a baby crying. _

"_It's a girl." the doctor smiled happily. "Congratulations."_

"_I think you broke a few of my fingers." Tim smirked, kissing Calleigh softly. _

"_I can bet you a lot of money that you're not in as much pain as I am in." she said sweetly. _

"_I think I'll agree with you." Tim nodded as the nurse handed Abbie over. "Is she okay?" _

"_Yep. 7 lbs. 8 oz." she smiled. "Ten fingers, ten toes. You can count them all if you don't believe me."_

_Calleigh was already peeking into the bundle of blankets in her arms. Tim turned back to her and kissed her forehead. _

"_I love you." _

"_I love you too. Oh... look at her." Calleigh cooed. "She's so pretty." _

"_Just like you." Tim smiled. Calleigh smiled as she looked up at him. _

"_Blackmail." she mumbled, looking back down at Abbie. _

"_What?" _

"_Nothing." Calleigh reached up and wiped a tear off his cheek. "I think all the guys at CSI would love to know that you cry. Especially Delko." _

"_Hey I've got a good reason." Tim defended. _

Tim jumped when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder.

"Speed..."

He turned around and looked at Eric.

"I'm sorry." he said quietly. "I... I shouldn't have left the room."

"Eric, it wasn't your fault." Tim said, his voice cracking. "Listen, can you um... take them?"

"Yeah. Overnight?"

"Do you care?"

Eric shook his head.

"Come on guys." he motioned for the three Speedle siblings to follow him. They walked ahead of him and Eric turned back to Tim. "You uh... you're not going to do something stupid are you?"

"No. I got them to take care of." he assured. "I'll probably knock back a few beers but nothing big."

"Just take it easy. We all miss her."

"You all weren't her husband. Thanks for taking them."

"I'm always there for you." Eric walked off. Tim sighed and placed the flag down on the chair that Nicky had been sitting on. He walked over to Calleigh's casket, fiddling with the rose in his hand. Finally, he tossed it on the casket along with the other flowers, tears streaming down his face.

"Bye baby."


	12. chapter twelve

Tim tossed his jacket over the back of the couch and walked into the kitchen, setting his keys down on the counter. He went to a cabinet over the refrigerator and looked in it for a second before pulling a bottle out. He went into another cabinet and grabbed a glass, slamming it down loudly onto the counter. It echoed through out the silent house, making Tim feel even more alone. Right now, half of him wanted his kids but then the other half wanted nothing more than to down the bottle of vodka in his hand. Tim poured some into the glass and stared at it. He didn't want a hangover. Yes he did, who the hell was he kidding? Tomorrow the kids would be back. 'I'll ignore them like I do now.' Tim thought, pouring a bit more into the glass.

"Oh what the hell." he mumbled, downing the glass. He put it in the sink and took the bottle into the living room. As he sat down, Tim set the bottle down on the coffee table in front of him and loosened his tie so it hung limply around his neck. Tim sunk back into the comfortable leather of his couch and stared at the bottle. He was being idiotic, as always. Yeah if he downed the vodka he'd get plastered and that would relieve his pain for a few hours but what about tomorrow? What about when he was at work? What about the rest of his life? Was he going to get drunk every time he felt a pang of sadness and emptiness come on? He didn't expect to wake up tomorrow and say, 'Hey she's gone. Let's move on.' He knew that he was going to be depressed and yearn for her every second of the rest of his life but he couldn't run away from everything. He couldn't build a wall around himself and let everything he cared about fall apart around him. Calleigh might be dead but their children weren't and he promised her he would be more caring towards them and be there for them. He wasn't ready to break that promise. Tim sighed deeply and closed his eyes, hoping that would stop the tears from coming on.

When he opened his eyes again, they focused on the VCR. A red light was blinking and Tim grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. A video was on pause and Tim hit the play button.

"...how about it?" Tim recognized Eric's voice and he frowned in confusion. What was this? It was a tape of the break room at CSI. But why did he have it?

"How about no?"

A familiar laugh filled Tim's ears and he silently urged whoever had the camera to tape something other than the wall. The tape jolted a bit as someone picked the camcorder up and focused on the table, where Abbie was in her high chair.

"Are you going to eat that cake?" Eric asked. Abbie smiled and stuck her finger in the vanilla icing.

"Baby, get her a napkin." Calleigh said and the camera changed from Abbie to Calleigh. Tim swallowed a mouthful of vodka and felt tears spring to his eyes.

"I'm holding the camera." he heard his own voice and suddenly he remembered. This was his 29th birthday. He hadn't wanted a party so Calleigh, Eric, Horatio, Megan, and Alexx got a cake and made him take a break from work.

"I'll uh relieve you of that duty." the camera was passed off to Eric and Tim was on the TV. Tim grabbed a napkin off the counter and wiped off Abbie's messy face. The off-screen Tim saw a few other home videos scattered around the entertainment center. Who had found these?

"Aww..." Tim looked back to the TV and saw he had sat back down and his head was rested on Calleigh's shoulder. "How about a big birthday kiss for the birthday boy?"

Tim lifted his head off Calleigh's shoulder and winked at her. She grinned and kissed him softly. Tim shook his head and drank a few more sips of the vodka as he paused the tape on the two of them in happier times. He turned the TV off and put the bottle back in the kitchen. Tim stood there for a second, then dragged himself up into his room. He lay there for a while on his back, staring at the ceiling. Finally he turned on his side and stared at Calleigh's side of the bed, as if she would suddenly be there, smiling at him.

Tim sat up and buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with each sob. Why did it have to be Calleigh? Why couldn't the responding officer had checked the house better and saw that the killer was still there? Tim didn't know when he fell asleep but the next thing he knew he had rolled over and his arm had wrapped around something or rather someone.

"Tim..."

That southern drawl filled his ears and Tim slowly woke up. Calleigh was lying across from him and he quickly sat up.

"Calleigh?"

She smiled at him and sat up as well.

"I... you're... you're still here."

"Yeah."

Tim pulled her into his arms buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"I had this horrible dream that you had died but it can't be. I mean, you're here." he murmured. She was still alive.

"Oh Tim, I wish that was it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that it's not a dream." Calleigh said quietly.

"No, but you're right here." Tim stammered, not pulling away from her. He wasn't going crazy. She was right here, in front of him, alive and breathing. Tears of frustration began to form and Calleigh pulled away from him slightly.

"Everything's gonna be fine Tim."

"No it's not." he mumbled, his voice cracking.

"Yes it is. I promise you that it is."

"How can you say that! You're not going to be here!"

"That's not true." Calleigh shook her head. "Honey, you know that's not true."

"I can't live like this." Tim said.

"Come on, I've been gone three days and you act like it's the end of the world." Calleigh joked weakly.

"For me it is."

"No it's not. You still have our kids Tim and I'll still be here, right here," she touched his chest gently. "Oh honey..."

"I can't do this. I can't raise them. I can't. I need you. I can't live without you. I need you to live." he wiped his eyes but the tears kept coming. "God Calleigh, I love you. I love you so much and I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry that I acted like a jerk for all of these years..."

"Shh." she pressed a finger to his lips. Tim had a hard time comprehending this. She was real. He could feel her, just every other time that he touched her or she had touched him. Calleigh pushed him back gently so he was lying down.

"Don't leave, Calleigh, please... I need you."

"Tim, shh... I know this is hard. But believe me, everything will be fine. You'll be fine. The kids will be fine... just be there for them..."

"I will. I swear I will Calleigh."

"I know." She leaned down and kissed him. Tim wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, hoping that he could prevent her from leaving. "I love you Tim. I always have and I always will..."

The phone ringing made Tim wake up. He quickly wiped his tear-stained cheeks and grabbed it off the charger.

"Hello?"

"Tim, it's Megan."

"Hey. How are you? How's everything going?" Tim heard from Megan Donner about once a year to keep up on things.

"I'm doing good. I heard about Calleigh Tim. Oh I'm so sorry."

"Who told you?"

"Horatio had called me. He didn't think that you would've called so he did it for you. I didn't want to bug you so soon."

"No. It's fine. Thank you though."

"How are the kids doing?"

"Upset, I assume. They're with Eric. I... I needed some time alone."

"Oh. She was a really great person Tim. She didn't deserve it. You and the kids don't deserve to go through this."

"Thanks Megan. I appreciate it."

"If you need anything, I'm going to be in Miami in about two weeks, so just call..."

"We'll be fine." Tim said, remembering Calleigh's words from his dream.

"Okay. Well I just wanted to give you my condolences."

"I have a feeling I'm going to get a lot of these calls."

"How are you doing Tim?"

"I... I feel like jumping out of a window." he admitted. "But... I got three kids to take care of so not any chance of that happening anytime soon."

"I know how you're feeling. Just don't do anything stupid."

"I'm not."


	13. chapter thirteen

"Hi..." Alexx walked into the break room and was surprised to find Tim sitting at the table, playing with his wedding ring. "I didn't think you'd be in."

"I've taken two weeks off. I'm going to go insane if I stay home any longer." he muttered. Alexx smiled sympathetically and grabbed her lunch out of the refrigerator. "Alexx?"

"Yeah Timmy?"

"Do... do you think that... do you think that if there were someway for uh... Calleigh to... communicate she would?" he felt stupid but he kept having that dream and every time he saw her, it hurt and he always woke up crying or moaning her name. Alexx patted his hand and nodded.

"It sounds like something she would do." she said. "Why? Strange things going on?"

"No I just... keep having this dream." Tim said, sliding his wedding ring back on.

"Tim, did you go talk to the department therapist yet?"

"No. I'm not going to."

"Oh sugar, don't be stubborn about this."

"I don't need some shrink telling me how to get over my wife."

"No one's saying get over her. Tim, you're not the same. We can all see that. Maybe you just need someone to talk to."

"I'm talking to you." he said quietly.

"What's wrong Timmy?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh you're never pleased!" Alexx exclaimed. "You want someone to talk to but then you don't want to talk."

"I don't want to talk about Calleigh."

"Fine. No one said we had to. How are the kids?"

"Broken up. Not their selves." Tim muttered. "Alexx, I can't take care of them. Two of them hate me and one practically doesn't know me."

S/C------

"...she smiled as he swept her up into his arms." Abbie read dully. "Things were wonderful between them..."

"Abbie, stop." Ms. Jackson shook her head. "Can you read with a bit more enthusiasm?"

"I don't feel like reading." she said quietly, pulling her hair into a messy ponytail. Jen raised her hand.

"Jennifer, continue."

"No, I have a question." she said. "Why are we reading this?"

"It's in the curriculum." Ms. Jackson replied. "Read."

"No. It's so... illogical. This doesn't happen in real life. Don't you think that the educators of Miami would rather us be filled of realistic knowledge than reading pathetic fairy tale endings?"

"Jennifer, this is an advanced English class. It's not second grade and we read Cinderella."

"Then why does it seem like that? No one is happy like this in real life! It's not perfect! If it was perfect, then people wouldn't hate each other. If it was perfect, then... then... then..."

"Jen..." Abbie started. Jen shook her head and ran out of the classroom. Abbie got up and followed her out. "Jenny, wait!"

She followed her into the bathroom and Jen collapsed onto the floor, crying hysterically. Abbie sat down next to her and pulled her into her arms.

"Jen, shh... it's okay."

"No it's not." she cried. "I miss Mom so much."

"I know. I do too."

"She... she was the only person that actually understood how I was. We were really close."

"I know you were." Abbie pulled her pocketbook over to her. She pulled her cell phone out and Jen wiped her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling Daddy. You can't stay here like this."

"Abbie, I'm sorry." Jen started crying again.

"For what?"

"How I've treated you. Mommy... Mommy was my best friend okay and when I saw you sitting there I thought that things were going to change and began pushing her away and she probably thought I hated her and I never told her I was sorry."

"No, Jen she didn't." Abbie was crying silently now too as she dialed Tim's cell phone.

S/C------

Tim was jolted from his thoughts as his cell phone rang.

"Speedle."

"Dad..."

"Abbie? Honey, what's wrong?"

"Um... uh... look Jen started freaking out in English and I... she can't stay here. Can you come pick us up?"

"Yeah. Of course. I'll be right there. Okay?"

"Okay."

S/C-----

"Look at Speedle over there, his nose buried in a book."

Nicky tried to ignore the other kids as he heard them talking about him.

"Hey Nicky, why don't you come play with us?"

"No. I'm good." he muttered. One boy, Johnny, walked up and knocked the book out of his hands. "Stop!"

"What are you going to do about it? Run to Mommy?"

Nicky's green eyes flamed with anger.

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"I'm not kidding Johnny. Just leave me alone."

"Baby." he taunted.

S/C-----

Tim had barely gotten into the car after picking Jen and Abbie up when his phone rang.

"Speedle."

"Mr. Speedle, this is Mr. Parker, your son's principal."

"Um... yeah. What's going on?"

"Nicholas got into a fight."

"I'm sorry? My... My son? Mr. Parker you have the wrong kid. My son can barely throw a punch."

"Well apparently he can. He gave another student a black eye. I'm going to need you to pick him up."


	14. chapter fourteen

Tim sat on the edge of his couch, his head buried in his hands. The kids were finally asleep and he finally had some time to himself.

"You said things would be fine." he mumbled, leaning back against the couch. "You promised me Calleigh."

Tim felt stupid for listening to a dream he had. Yes it was his wife but... it was just a dream. She was dead, she couldn't come back, she couldn't talk to him, nothing. Tim sighed deeply and picked up the phone and dialed a number. He waited for a second and began to talk.

"Yes this is CSI Tim Speedle. I um... I need to make an appointment with Dr. Burnett."

S/C-------

A YEAR LATER

Jen stared down at the floor, not listening to Dr. Burnett. Dr. Burnett was the MDPD department therapist but after a few sessions, Tim asked if Jen could talk to her. She agreed, even though Jen fought with her father to not make her go. Every week on Friday at four, she reluctantly talked to Dr. Burnett and then went home to sulk. Slowly Jen and Tim filled up all those years that Tim hadn't been there but since Calleigh's death Jen had grown distant and it took a lot to make Jen open up.

"Jennifer?"

"You know, every week for the past year you've asked me how I've felt about certain topics Dr. Burnett." she said. "You're supposed to be a college-educated woman. If your mother died unexpectedly, how would you feel about it? I thought that these things were common sense. I feel horrible. I don't feel whole anymore. I feel like I'm alone."

S/C-----

Tim knelt down, placing the bouquet of white roses at the bottom of Calleigh's headstone.

"Hey sweetheart..." Tim stared at the headstone, absentmindedly tracing the letters engraved in it. "Abbie got that scholarship to the University of Miami. Believe it or not she still wants to take a course in criminology. Nicky's doing good, he got his Yankees tickets he's wanted. They're playing Tampa in two weeks. And Jen... well Jenny is her usual self. It's not the same without you. I still miss you as much as ever and I still love you as much as the day I first met you."

Tim swallowed his tears and brought his fingers to his lips, then to the C in Calleigh's name.

"I still don't know how I got through this past year... it's been Hell I'll tell you that much... I feel bad. I really do. I try to be there and do as much as I can, just like I promised you honey, but Abbie seems to think she has to do everything. She's wearing herself out and I don't see how she has time for anything she wants to do. I'll be glad when she goes to college. She can start acting her age, or at least I hope so. But that's a year away."

Before Tim could go, on his cell phone went off.

"Speedle."

"Dad!"

"Jen, what's going on?"

"Come and pick me up! I can't sit here with this woman anymore. I'm done coming to these stupid sessions! I'm not crazy! I don't need to see a psychologist!"

"Okay, honey just calm down for a second. I'm about fifteen minutes away okay? By then it'll be five so just finish it out, for me okay?"

"Daddy..."

"I know you don't like it Jenny but, just fifteen minutes okay?"

"Fine."

"Alright. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Bye."

Tim hung his cell phone up and reattached it to his belt.

"Jen's been... really distant from all of us for the past year." he muttered. "She's... God Calleigh, I don't know what to do anymore. But that was her and I need to go get her. I love you honey. I love you so much..."

He paused for a second, as if expecting to hear her sexy drawl that made him turn to mush every time he had heard it.

S/C--------

"I'm sick of it!" Jen exclaimed. "Why are you even making me go?"

"Because Jen, you've become a shell since Mom died." Tim replied quietly.

"Well I'm done! I don't need to talk to her anymore! She doesn't even help! It still hurts as much as the day you told us that she was dead!"

"I know it does Jen."

"You don't go anymore!"

"Because I've... look I'm telling you the truth here. I miss your mother. She was the only person I could love besides you and your siblings. I should be going to Dr. Burnett but I... oh Jenny, you're so much like me." Tim sighed. "I know it doesn't help okay? We all deal with it in our own way."

"Dad..."

"I really wish you wouldn't stop going though. I like the old Jen, the happy Jen. I had hoped if you talked to Dr. Burnett she'd come back."

"Well she's gone unless you can somehow bring Mom back."

"Please, don't act like this. Jenny, we talked about this. We all miss Mom. If I could bring her back I would. I love her so much Jen, just like I love you and Nicky and Abbie and losing her was so hard but we're all slowly going back to normal."

"Normal?" Jen exploded. "You say we're going back to normal? Nothing will ever be normal again!"

"So what do you want me to do? Marry again?"

"NO! I don't want another mother, I want my mother!" Jen exclaimed. They sat in silence for a while. "Daddy, turn around."

"Why?" Tim glanced at her sideways.

"I... I want to go see Mom."

S/C------

Tim moved away from the tree he had been leaning against and straightened up as Jen walked over, wiping her eyes.

"You feel better?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I do but then I feel worse." Jen replied.

"Yeah I know."

"We have to get home so I can get ready for my game."

"Yeah. Gonna hit a homer again?" Tim grinned.

"No." Jen grinned back. "That was a one in a million shot."

"Well that was one hell of a shot."

S/C------

Tim glanced behind him and rolled his eyes as he watched Abbie talk with some senior boy. Nicky was playing catch with one of his friends and Jen was pitching in her game, which was so far a perfect game for her.

"So which one is yours?"

Tim glanced to his left and saw a redhead sitting next to him.

"She's pitching. Number 28." he replied. "Yours?"

"She just struck out." the redhead sighed. "Lily Lawford."

She extended her hand and Tim shook it.

"Tim Speedle."

"Is she normally a pitcher?" Lily asked.

"Actually no." Tim laughed. "She usually is first base."

He glanced behind him again and did a double take as he saw a blonde resembling Calleigh near the snack bar. He looked again but she had started to walk away.

"Dad!"

Tim jumped and saw Abbie leaning against the bleachers.

"Josh is taking me to McDonald's. I'll just meet you at home okay?"

"Okay." Tim nodded. "You got money?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Have fun."

"Okay bye." Abbie smiled, kissing his cheek quickly. Lily smiled as she walked off.

"You have two kids?" she asked.

"Actually I have three." Tim corrected. "My son is playing catch over on the t-ball field."

"Oh. A man with three kids. There's a rarity." Lily said, a pleased tone in her voice. Tim shrugged, resting his chin in his left hand. "Oh..."

Tim smiled as Lily saw his wedding ring.

"The game's over. Sorry that she lost." he said, hopping off the bleachers. He waited by the fence that blocked the field off from the bleachers. Jen was one of the last ones out and she smiled when she saw Tim. She ran to him and he swung her around. "Awesome job. Didn't know you could pitch like that."

"Neither could I." Jen giggled. Tim smiled. This was the Jen he liked. The happy-go-lucky daughter that had his looks but Calleigh's personality. "The coach said that if Alicia keeps skipping games like this, he wants me to become a pitcher!"

"That's good! You can play anywhere on that field. Do me a favor and go get your brother. I'll bring the car around okay?"

Jen nodded and ran towards the t-ball field. Tim lugged her equipment to his Tahoe and loaded it into the truck. He moved around to the driver's side and got in, resting his head against the head rest. Tim grabbed his cell phone and dialed a familiar number.

S/C--------

"I don't know H." Tim sighed, leaning back in his chair. He glanced out the window and smiled, watching Jen play with Nicky in the front yard. Horatio smiled sadly.

"Tim, we all miss her."

"I know I just... do you think I'm crazy?"

"I think you're a man that's missing the woman he loves." Horatio replied. "Speed, give yourself a break. It's not a sin to think about her."

"I know... this woman hit on me at the game and I just.. I've tried dating and nothing works. I get to the beginning of a date and I make up some excuse that my kids need me and leave."

"They do need you. You're a new man Tim."

"Yeah. A broken one." he muttered.

"No. I don't think, and don't take this offensively, but I haven't seen you as such a loving father since Abbie was a baby. I saw him for a moment last year when things were going good but then Calleigh died and he faded for a while."

"I'm having that dream again." Tim said quietly. "Where she's there, in our bedroom, telling me everything's fine. Everything's not fine! I promised her Horatio, the day that she died... she said that she loved me being how I was and that she wished I stayed the happy, loving, involved father that I was. I promised her I would but I don't... I don't know what to do anymore! I've run out of ideas! I've... nothing seems to work! I started getting Jen back and now Nicky's fighting at school again. Abbie... God you should've seen her at the game. She was with this boy and she was smiling H. That was the first real smile I've seen in a long time. She was happy! She didn't have to worry about her little sister and brother. I wish that she could see that she doesn't have to, that I'm here."

"You need to talk to her then." Horatio said.

"I've tried. She says she's fine and she's like doing it but I can tell she's not." Tim glanced at the clock on the wall and stood up. "I gotta get them home."

"Alright. How's the lab?"

"Fine. Thanks Horatio."

"For what?"

"For listening when I needed someone to talk to. You're a damn better therapist than Burnett, and she's trained to talk to people."

Horatio laughed lightly and clapped Tim on the shoulder.

"I'll talk to you later."

"See you later." Tim nodded and walked out. "Come on guys."

Jen and Nicky raced to the car, the two of them laughing the whole way. Tim sighed and shook his head as he walked over to his Tahoe. He got in and Jen stole a glance at Horatio's house as she opened the door. Her eyes focused on the second floor window and suddenly what she thought she saw was gone.

S/C-------

Horatio watched helplessly as Calleigh cried at the kitchen table.

"I can't do this anymore Horatio!" she sobbed. "I... I heard everything Tim said and I just feel so horrible!"

"Calleigh, sweetheart this isn't your fault."

"Yes it is! God I hate feds!"

Horatio laughed even though it was inappropriate. Calleigh laughed with him slightly.

"I miss them and I'm only a half hour away. Well I am now at least."


	15. chapter fifteen

Tim rolled over in bed and he sighed, not being able to sleep. He got out of bed and walked downstairs into the kitchen, grabbing that trusty bottle of vodka of his.

"If you drink that you're going to get a hangover and get a new place to hide the spare key."

Tim dropped the bottle, glass and alcohol flying everywhere. He didn't know why he acted like that. He was obviously still sleeping and as usual, Calleigh was just a dream. She sighed and walked up to him, pulling him away from the counter and sat him down in a chair. Again, she felt real.

"You're bleeding." she said quietly, going through the cabinets. She grabbed the band-aids and a rag and turned back to Tim, who was staring at her. "Don't do this..."

"Do what?" he asked, watching her clean up his hand. He loved the way her skin felt against his and it sent a tingle down his spine.

"Stare at me and then go upstairs, thinking I'm not here."

"Do you know how many times I go through this? Think that you're here and talk with you, you comfort me and then I wake up and you're dead?" Tim asked. Calleigh held the rag on his hand, trying to stop the bleeding. She looked up at him.

"If you go through this so many times then why did you drop the bottle? If you know I'm not real then why did you act like that? Honey, I'm here and I'm sorry. I know what you've been going through." she reached up and touched his rough cheek gently. Tim leaned into her touch. "See? I'm here."

"That doesn't prove anything. This is like the dreams." he said quietly.

"I heard."

"How?"

"I... God you're going to hate me. I've been with Horatio for the past week. Last year I was put into Witness Protection. I'm not even supposed to be here right now. Horatio would kill me if he knew I was here. I was there. I heard you talking and I wanted to come downstairs so badly and never let you go again. Jen saw me. She saw me in the window, watching her and Nicky..." Calleigh's eyes filled with tears as she put the band-aid on Tim's hand. He tilted her chin gently and looked into her green eyes. Now this was not a dream. There was no way in hell that Tim's brain could come of with that scenario.

"Calleigh..."

"I'm sorry." she whispered. Tim wiped away the tears that fell down her cheeks. "I wanted to tell you so badly but I couldn't. If I did then I was putting you and the kids in danger and I couldn't

do that. I would go crazy if something happened to any of you. I would not forgive myself if any of you got hurt because of this."

"Shh..." Tim pulled Calleigh towards him and kissed her. The kisses soon got heated and desperate, neither getting enough of the other. They pulled away from each other, breathing heavily. "Calleigh, I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you too." she pulled him back to her and kissed him passionately. Tim stood up and began pulling her towards the stairs. A year was way too long away from each other.

S/C-------

Tim sighed into Calleigh's hair as they lay entangled in each other's arms.

"You're not leaving are you?" he asked quietly. He felt Calleigh sigh into his shoulder, her hand caressing his hair.

"I have to Tim."

"No."

"Yes I do. If anyone knew I was here..."

"So?"

"So?"

"Calleigh, I just got you back. I don't want to lose you again. This past year has been the hardest of my whole life."

"I know honey. I... I can't stand being away from you and Abbie and Jen and Nicky..."

"At least you didn't think we were dead." Tim muttered. "I... nothing's the same."

"So I caused all this damage huh?"

"I'm not saying it was your fault. I mean, you didn't ask to be put into the program but... I just... I don't want you to leave me again."

"I don't want to leave either." Calleigh said quietly. "But I have to. I won't be gone for much longer. I promise you Tim, I'll be back. And... and I'll be at Horatio's. You can come there. He's rarely home during the day."

"What made you go into the program?" he asked, clinging to her tightly.

"More like who."

"Who?"

"Hank Kerner. He got paroled two years ago and had been following me."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't think it was that important at the time!" Calleigh said quietly.

"Not important?"

"Tim, be quiet! You're going to wake the kids."

"I don't care." he hissed. "How could you say it wasn't important?"

"Well it wasn't like he was coming after me with a gun or anything! I just noticed that this car had been following me and finally I told Horatio and he checked it out. About two months before I went into the program, I started getting death threats. It wasn't my idea! It was Horatio's."

"Horatio knew about this?"

"And Eric and Alexx..."

"Why?"

"Well... no one actually shot me. No one came back to the scene. Eric made it look like I did and Alexx obviously knew because she didn't do my autopsy."

"Your autopsy. Calleigh, I was there! I saw you lying there!"

"I know, I heard you. Oh God Tim that was the hardest thing, hearing you cry over me. I wanted to end it right there but I knew I couldn't because I knew that things were going to begin to escalate and I didn't want to put you and the kids in danger. Sweetheart I never meant to lie to you. I was doing this to protect you."

"So where have you been then?"

"Everywhere. New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Tampa Bay, Austin, New Orleans. They moved me about once every two months. Finally they moved me back here, under Horatio's orders. He said that he'd make sure nothing happened to me. Tim, please don't be angry with me."

Tim was quiet for a few minutes, digesting all the information he had been given.

"I'm not angry with you."

Calleigh lifted Tim's head off her shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"You're not?"

"No."

"Why? I mean..."

Tim shook his head, cutting her off.

"Calleigh, I could not be mad at you even if I tried." he said. "Besides, I'd do the same thing. I don't want anything happening to you or our children. God, I love the four of you so much. You know, they were the only things that got me through this past year."

Calleigh let out a cry and let go of him.

"What?"

"How can you still be so caring?" Calleigh asked, sobs racking her body.

"Because I love you." Tim said in a soothing tone. "Oh honey, come on, please don't cry..."

He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers gently.

"Tim, I ruined our lives! I ruined our kids' lives!" Calleigh cried.

"No, honey you didn't." he lied. (LOL Nice husband) "The only thing that matters is that you're here again. I promise you that nothing's going to happen. We won't have to worry about Kerner, you can come back..."

"It's not that simple Tim."

"Yes it is." he wiped her eyes. "Because I'd rather die than let Kerner get to you. I won't ever let him hurt you."

"I love you Tim." Calleigh murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you so much."

"I love you too Calleigh."

She pulled Tim's face closer to hers and kissed him deeply.

"I want to forget this past year happened. I want to go back to the way we were."

"We can."


	16. chapter sixteen

Tim groaned lightly as the sunlight came through his window. He rolled over and was surprised to find he was alone.

"Calleigh?"

He glanced around and fell back against the pillows. The adjoining bathroom door opened and Calleigh walked out in Tim's shirt. She smiled when she saw he was awake.

"Hey sleepyhead." she crawled back into bed and wrapped her arm around his chest.

"You scared me for a minute. I thought maybe last night hadn't happened, that I dreamt it all." Tim said, his arm around Calleigh's shoulders.

"No, I'm here." she smiled, kissing him softly. "I shouldn't have stayed."

"Yes you should've and I'm glad you did."

"Horatio will be wondering where I am."

"He doesn't need to look too far." Tim muttered as the phone rang. He grabbed it off the bedside table and pressed talk. "Hello?"

"Speed, what's up?"

"Horatio..." he gave Calleigh a look and she sighed deeply and sat up. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to say hi."

"I'm sure you did." Tim looked at Calleigh and she motioned for him to give her the phone. He handed it over and nervously, she brought it to her ear.

"Horatio..."

"I knew it! I knew it Calleigh!"

"I'm sorry!"

"You just couldn't follow what they told you! What if Kerner saw you and followed you?"

"Oh yeah and get past Tim? Look, I'm finished with this whole stupid thing. He hasn't shown up."

"He hasn't shown up because he thinks you're dead! What are you going to do when he sees you?"

"He's not!" Calleigh exclaimed loudly. Tim held a finger to his lips.

'The kids.' he mouthed. She reached over to smack him and Tim yelped as he took a dive off the bed, resulting in a loud bang. Calleigh appeared over him.

"Honey are you okay?"

"Yeah just peachy." Tim groaned. His eyes widened as the doorknob jiggled. "They're coming!"

"Who?"

"Dad?"

Calleigh's eyes widened as well. What if you walked into a room and saw your mother who you thought had been dead for a year?

"We heard a bang. Is everything okay?" Abbie's voice filtered into the room.

"Yeah. Everything's fine. Just uh... go downstairs." Tim replied. The footsteps died away and Calleigh started talking again.

"Horatio, I don't understand why you think I can't protect my... Horatio? Horatio! Ugh you get me so mad sometimes!" she hung up and tossed the phone to the foot of the bed. "So... now what?"

Tim had pulled himself back into the bed, his hair sticking up oddly.

"Um... how do you think we should tell them?"

S/C------

Tim walked into the kitchen and sat down, his eyes fixed on the table.

"We uh... we need to talk guys."

His kids looked up from their breakfast and stared at him.

"Are you uh... seeing someone?" Jen asked. Tim sighed and his leg started bouncing.

"Um... well... sort of... I mean I've been seeing her." Why did Calleigh make him talk about this?

"What?" Abbie looked confused. "Oh you uh... broke a bottle. I cleaned it up."

Tim stared at the counter. Hadn't he cleaned it up? Oh no, they uh... became busy.

"Listen, something's come up. I swear to the three of you that I had no idea about this." he started. "I don't even know how to tell you... um... Mommy isn't... dead."

The three Speedle kids went back to eating breakfast.

"Guys, I'm serious. She..."

"Dad, please stop." Jen begged quietly. Tim sighed and looked over his shoulder. Calleigh bit her lip and walked into the kitchen, standing behind Tim. Abbie's jaw dropped, Nicky's spoon froze halfway to his mouth, and Jen just sat there. "That's not possible."

"Yes it is." Calleigh nodded. "I know that this is very weird and I know that you guys are probably wondering what the hell is going on..."

"Words can't describe what's going through my mind right now." Abbie said slowly. "What... we... you..."

"Guys, you know that in our job, your father and I can piss people off. I've pissed off one too many and one of them has been... following me. Your Uncle Horatio thought it'd be best if I went into the Witness Protection Program..."

"But... why didn't you tell us?" Nicky asked.

"I couldn't baby. I wanted to so badly." Calleigh replied, leaning against Tim's back. He pulled her arms around him and leaned back against her. Jen shook her head and stood up. "Jenny, honey..."

"No. You're... you lied to us!"

"I didn't lie to you."

"Jen, didn't you tell me that if Mommy came back you'd be happy?" Tim asked.

"Yes but... this whole year has just been a lie!" she exclaimed and ran upstairs. Calleigh sighed and pulled away from Tim. She followed her daughter upstairs and knocked on the closed door.

"Jen..."

She didn't reply and Calleigh opened the door slowly. Jen was sitting at the window seat, her forehead rested against the cool glass. Calleigh closed the door and sat across from her.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I really am." she said quietly. Jen suddenly threw herself into Calleigh's arms, crying hysterically.

"It was so unfair."

"I know it was Jenny." Calleigh rocked her slowly.

"I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." Calleigh was close to tears now and pulled away from Jen slightly. "Hey, everything's fine okay?"

Jen nodded and Calleigh quickly wiped the tears off her cheeks. She pulled Jen back into her arms and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you so much sweetheart."

"I love you too Mommy."

S/C-----

Calleigh knocked on Abbie's open door lightly. She glanced over her shoulder and gave her mother a week smile.

"Hey."

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah." Abbie put her homework away and turned away from her desk. "What's up?"

Calleigh shook her head and sat down on the bed.

"I just wanted to talk with you. Are you doing okay?"

"A little shocked to see you but other than that yeah."

"I know this is odd..."

"I guess when Dad told us you died I never figured it could be an act." Abbie said quietly. "I mean, you see that stuff on TV and in movies but I never actually heard of someone doing that."

"Honey, I did this so you and Dad and your brother and sister didn't get hurt."

"Why?"

Calleigh hesitated for a minute.

"Mom, I'm not a kid."

"You're my kid." Calleigh smiled. Abbie smiled back. "Okay... about right around the time I went back to work after you were born, your father and I were assigned a case. A man, his name is Hank Kerner, killed an innocent person. We put him in jail and at his trial, he swore that he'd get his revenge on me. Didn't care about Daddy, just me. Two years later, he escaped from jail about two days before his parol hearing. I caught him and that was the end of it. Or so I thought. Last year, about two months before you came back into our lives, I started getting followed and soon it escalated. Horatio thought it would be best if I went into hiding for a while."

"So the only way of doing this was to make it seem like you died?"

"Well if he thought I was dead then he'd leave me alone and I could come back." Calleigh said. "I know that the past year was rough."

"You wouldn't believe it." Abbie mumbled, moving over to the bed. "Is... is everything gonna be okay?"

"Of course it is."

"I mean between us."

"What are you talking about?"

"It really sucked. I mean... I got kidnapped when I was two, barely remembered you, fourteen years later you and Daddy found me and then we spent three weeks together before you went into the program. We don't have the closest relationship."

"Well we can fix that." Calleigh said.

"How? I'm going to college in ten months."

"That's ten months away. That's a lot of time."

"You're not going back are you?"

"No. I'm not."

Abbie nodded and looked down at her lap.

"Abbie..." Calleigh started, making her look up."I don't care if we spent five minutes together. Nothing is going to change the fact that you're my daughter. I promise you that things will get better. We won't have us pretending to be dead or getting kidnapped... we'll just try to be a normal family. Okay?"

Abbie nodded and Calleigh pulled her into a hug.

"You know... I think I always knew." she said quietly.

"Knew what?" Calleigh asked.

"That... that something wasn't right with Allison. She acted differently to her daughter than she did to me and even before Casey was born, I didn't feel like she was my mother. I know why now."

Calleigh pulled away from her slightly and brushed the hair out of Abbie's face.

"You know I love you right?"

Abbie nodded and Calleigh kissed her forehead.

"Finish your homework." she murmured. Abbie grinned and walked back over to her desk. "Tomorrow, you want to go to the mall?"

"Shopping?" Abbie's eyes lit up.

"Yeah." Calleigh laughed, walking over to the door.

"Mom?"

"What?" Calleigh turned and looked at Abbie.

"I love you too."

Calleigh smiled and walked out of the room.

"Mom?"

'Never a quiet moment in this house.' Calleigh thought, entering Nicky's room.

"You called?" she teased, climbing onto his bed. Nicky smiled and Calleigh pulled him onto her lap. "Have your sisters been treating you good?"

"Yeah." Nicky nodded.

"Good. We need to talk."

"We do."

"Indeed." Calleigh smiled, tickling Nicky. He squirmed in her arms and he settled down after she stopped. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I missed you."

"I missed you too. I see you and Dad have been bonding." Calleigh glanced around the room, which was covered in Yankees posters.

"Yeah but it wasn't the same without you. I got used to it after a while but it wasn't as fun."

"So I'm better than Dad?"

"If we're not talking about sports yes."

Calleigh smiled and dropped a kiss on the top of Nicky's head.

"Mommy?"

"What baby?"

"Are you gonna leave again?"

"I don't plan on leaving ever again."

"Good. I don't want you to leave."

"I'm not Nicky. I promise." Calleigh murmured. Nicky tightened his hold on her waist and leaned back into her arms. She didn't know how long they had sat there talking but Nicky finally came to his senses and said he was going to his friend Matt's. He had jumped off his bed, then came back and hugged Calleigh tightly and kissed her cheek with an 'I love you Mom.'

Once he ran downstairs and Calleigh heard the door slam, she walked downstairs and saw Tim stretched out on the couch, his eyes fixed on the TV. Calleigh smiled and walked over, dropping herself onto his lap. He winced slightly from the extra weight and turned to look at her.

"Got any more complaints?"

"Why would I being complaining? I've got all I've ever asked for right in front of me." Tim grinned. Calleigh smiled and leaned down, kissing him gently. "God Cal... I really don't know how I got through this past year."

"Let's not worry about it anymore." she said quietly. Tim nodded in agreement and pulled her back to him. He shifted slightly so she had room to lay down and she buried her head in his shoulder. "Who's winning?"

"Yankees, duh."

S/C------

Across the street in an SUV, Hank Kerner watched the couple intently through the front window.

"Yeah be happy." he growled. "It won't stay that way for long."


	17. chapter seventeen

Tim smiled to himself as he watched Calleigh cook breakfast.

"You're just wasting your time." he said, announcing himself. Calleigh jumped and slammed the spoon onto the counter.

"Dammit don't do that!" she exclaimed, a smile tugging at her lips. Tim shrugged and sauntered over to her, his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry." he gave her a lopsided smile. "Like I said, you're just wasting your time."

"Why?"

"It's Sunday! Do you expect any of them to be up before two?" Tim wrapped his arms around Calleigh's waist and looked down at her, a twinkle in his chocolate eyes. "You may be their mother but I'm their father and believe it or not, they do have some of my attributes."

"Then why are you up at seven?" Calleigh asked.

"Well see, last night this gorgeous blonde somehow slipped into my bed," Tim smirked, "and she was gone this morning, so I figured I should go and find her before another lucky guy in her life did."

Calleigh smiled and, leaned up, kissing his nose lightly.

"You're a goof."

"I've heard. What are you making anyway?"

"Pancakes. Why are you hungry?"

"The question should be, 'Why are you always hungry?'" Tim smirked. "Damn, I haven't had your food in a long time and my ain't that great."

"Can we please use proper grammar?"

"Me? Use proper grammar?"

"Oh that's right. What am I saying? You're a Yankee." Calleigh teased.

"Uh you don't have good speaking either Scarlett O'Hara." Tim grinned. They stared at each other in silence and Calleigh slowly smiled.

"What?"

"Nothing." Tim shook his head and kissed her. Calleigh wrapped her arms around his neck. The doorbell rang and Tim ignored it, deepening their kiss. Last night hadn't been enough. Yes he was being greedy but he had just gone a whole year without the woman of his dreams, his wife, his beautiful Calleigh, the mother of his children, the...

"Tim, get the door."

She had to ruin it. But she'd get her punishment as she heard Tim's surprised tone and walked into the foyer.

"Christian Randall." Calleigh sighed. The federal agent smirked and took his sunglasses off. "Tim, let him in..."

Tim reluctantly moved out of the doorway and let the man in. He protectively wrapped an arm around Calleigh and Christian's smirk widened.

"It's not me you have to worry about. We need to talk."

S/C------

TBC...

A/N: Totally short yes but then it doesn't build up the suspense for the sequel. Hehehe.


End file.
